FaveFilms Review: Waking Life (2001, Directed by Richard Linklater)

How many of us go through the day without thinking about anything that really “matters”? We are so concerned with the realities of the everyday rat-race that we very rarely pause to reflect on why we are here and why we do what we do. We are living in an era in which more Americans vote for the American Idol contestants than vote in presidential elections. If we believe Plato’s injunction that “the unreflective life is not worth living,” then it becomes clear that many of us are living lives devoid of real purpose.

These thoughts were inspired by Richard Linklater’s 2001 mind-trip of a film Waking Life. The movie follows a twenty-something man who wanders through a persistent dream state in which he meets diverse individuals who discuss with him nothing short of the meaning of existence. Some of the many topics discussed include existentialism, situationist politics, free will vs. determinism, postmodernism, dream theory, and the film theories of André Bazin.

I realize that some people may already be zoning out at the mention of these seemingly bookish discussion topics. I must say, however, that Linklater presents these ideas in a way that is not only lucid, but downright adventuresome. There’s more action in this masterpiece than all of the Die Hard films combined!

As we drift with the protagonist from discussion to discussion and from dream to dream, we evaluate the validity of the arguments presented. Some are quite brilliant; some are convoluted, yet intriguing; whereas others are downright silly. The diversity of ideas encountered underlies Linklater’s principal strategy. We are presented a cornucopia of contradictory ideas without being explicitly told which are viable and which are just plain daft. What is most important in this film (and, arguably, in life) is the journey of discovery, not the point of destination. We do not walk away from this film with the answer to the meaning of life (leave that to Douglas Adams and Monty Python). Instead, we feel that we have accompanied our protagonist on a journey of epic proportions, although the incidents in this film are probably all inside our hero’s head.

I haven’t even mentioned the central technical achievement of Linklater’s movie yet, an animation technique based on rotoscoping. The animators overlaid the director’s live action footage with animation that approximates the images physically filmed. The result is a truly dream-like visual style that fits perfectly with the film’s central plot device.

While watching this film, I was reminded of one of my other favorite movies, My Dinner with Andre. Both of these pictures call to mind some of the most stimulating conversations I have had in my life. Whether with dear friends, casual acquaintances, or strangers on the street, these conversations are the lifeblood of the reflective person’s life. I would encourage all to join in the conversation. See Waking Life even if you think it may not be your cup of tea or may challenge you in uncomfortable ways. It will give you something to talk about for quite awhile to come.

Movie Review: The Class (Directed by Laurent Cantent, 2009)

Most popular films about teaching are of the “inspirational” variety, depicting teachers who overcome great odds to fill their pupils with hope and determination for the future (see, among others, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Dead Poets Society, Freedom Writers, To Sir with Love, etc., etc., etc.). Laurent Cantent’s The Class is exceedingly refreshing in the way it fails to live up to all expectations of a “teacher” movie. We see a version of some of the prototypical scenes we are used to from other films set in the classroom (i.e. moments of inner discovery, disturbed children acting out in class, etc.). However, we also see the reality of the day-to-day struggles of an urban teacher who might not be cut out for the job.

The movie’s stark realism can be attributed to the fact that François Bégaudeau, The Class’s writer and star, is a real school teacher. The film depicts Bégaudeau’s semi-autobiographical account as a French teacher in an inner-city Parisian middle school. Many of the teenage actors in the film are Bégaudeau’s actual students. The images we see on the screen, then, fall somewhere on the ambiguous continuum between documentary and constructed reality.

The Class feels stunningly like a year in the life of a real middle school. Moments of profundity are coupled with moments of frustration. Displays of genuine affection between teacher and students precede displays of outer violence. We find ourselves simultaneously smiling and cringing at the behaviors of teacher and students alike.

To describe the film’s plot in detail is to do the movie an immense injustice. It is better to experience the flow of the film as naturally as possible. Let’s just say that I never stopped caring what was going to happen next. This is film is interesting and insightful because it cares about the characters we see before us. They aren’t Hollywood stereotypes, but real people we come to view with simultaneous admiration and frustration.

Watching The Class, I was thinking of other great films that depict an individual’s professional work with great acuity and clarity. Bubble, Chop Shop, and Man Push Cart are three that come immediately to mind. As far as I’m concerned, we need more films of this sort. These movies might not inspire you to join the profession they depict, but they sure provide some insight into why workers in that profession look so tired at the end of the day and why what they’re doing is so important.